T

he Jakarta Narcotics Agency is investigating the possible involvement of an international drugs ring after finding heroin, and other illegal substances, during raids at two West Jakarta nightclubs early on Saturday.

Agency officers arrested a total of 19 revelers at Illigals and Mille's Club after they tested positive for hashish, crystal methamphetamine, amphetamines, ecstasy, benzodiazepines and heroin, the agency said.

'We will question them further to find out where they got the substances, especially the heroin,' the agency's prevention chief, Sapari Hartodiharjo, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

'We suspect the heroin is linked to an international syndicate because it's rare in Indonesia.'

He said the raids involved around 60 officers from different forces, including the Navy, Army and Air Force Military Police, the National Narcotics Agency (BNN), the National Police's Internal Affairs Division and the Jakarta Military Command's Military Police.

The raids were carried out at around 1 a.m. at Illigals and thereafter at Mille's Club, he said. 'We did not target specific nightclubs; these two [Illigals and Mille's Club] were chosen randomly,' Sapari said.

He said the agency's operations, which also include a recent raid at Stadium in West Jakarta, was meant to prevent the distribution of narcotics at nightclubs.

According to Sapari, two men visiting Illigals tested positive for drug use, as were 13 men and four women at Mille's Club.

Former vocalist with music band The Fly, Muhammad Hamzah alias Bjah, was among the Mille's Club visitors who underwent a urine test, but he tested negative, he said.

He said there had been some tension between his personnel and security officers at Mille's Club before the raid, but they managed to get inside after a long negotiation with the club's management.

He said officers seized no illegal substances as evidence at the two nightclubs, but the results of the urine tests on the 19 people arrested were 'enough to put them in jail'.

Mille's Club security chief Warno said no visitors were allowed to enter the premises carrying drugs.

'Everyone is given a thorough body check at the front gate. It's impossible [to get in carrying drugs],' he said.

'If someone uses drugs inside the club, he might have gotten them from somewhere inside, which we don't know.'

He refused to comment, however, on the raid as he said it was staff on another shift who witnessed it.

Meanwhile, a staff member at Illigals refused to comment altogether, saying that 'all the people authorized to speak have left'. (hrl)